A conventional method of endotracheal intubation is to first use a MacIntosh or Miller laryngoscope to move the patient's tongue out of the way, visualize the vocal cords, and then to insert an endotracheal tube (ETT) with a malleable stylet inside. Once the ETT is placed in proper position, the stylet is removed and the ETT is connected, for example, by means of a 15 mm connector, to a circle system to supply oxygen and remove carbon dioxide.
For the situation of “difficult airways,” i.e., when the uvula can not be seen by inspection with the mouth wide open and the tongue extended, various alternative procedures have been used. The “difficult airways” situation arises frequently when the patient has a short mandible, impaired neck mobility, a short neck, trismus of the jaw, or a swollen tongue. Other situations of difficult airways arise when the patient is obese or is wearing a halo cervical fixation device because of a cervical fracture. Such alternative approaches include the Bullard laryngoscope, the reverse Seldinger technique, or the blind, Fast Track insertion device.
A conventional method of endotracheal intubation of difficult airways is to use a fiberoptic scope. Fiberoptic scopes allow the operator to visualize structures at the distal end of the scope by looking through a lens at the proximal end of the fiberoptic scope. However, some fiberoptic scopes are difficult to precisely control, making it difficult to visualize the vocal cords. Also, some fiberoptic scopes require the use of a special skill set which is not ordinarily used on a daily basis. Furthermore, fiberoptic scopes typically do not create by themselves a pocket of air inside the pharynx through which structures can be visualized. In some cases, operators of fiberoptic scopes see pink rather than the airway. When the tip of the fiberoptic lens is up against the tissues of the pharyngeal walls, against the tongue, or in the vallecula, the operator will see pink rather than the airway. Furthermore, in some situations when the operator focuses one eye through the eyepiece and closes the other eye, the operator may lose the natural, global, intuitive perspective ordinarily gained from looking directly into the mouth with a conventional rigid laryngoscope blade of known extension.
A need exists, therefore, for intubation systems and methods for using same. A further need exists for an intubation system which allows the medical professional to easily and continuously view the laryngeal area during the procedure without having to look away from the ETT being inserted.